by Donald Hunt
A frequent visitor to the cabaret was a man named Karl Gropemann. He was a large man standing 6’4” with partial balding. He was soft spoken and had a kind face. Over a six month period he had asked Salka several times if she would accompany him to his apartment. She finally consented, breaking her own rule about the Aldon Hotel. Gropemann had been nothing but kind to her over the months and had given her numerous tips. She asked him to wait outside while she got dressed. In the dressing room her friend Heidi Denke was also getting dressed. When Heidi learned where Salka was going her smile faded.
“Be careful, Salka. Six months ago, a girl working here disappeared and was thought to have been involved with that man.”
Salka began to have a foreboding feeling. She asked the club manager to inform Gropemann that she was feeling ill and would not be able to go with him. Gropemann only returned to the cabaret once after that and Salka was not working that night. About a year later Salka recognized his picture in the Berliner Tagblatt. A young woman was found murdered in his apartment after neighbors heard a commotion and screams. He was indicted and convicted of that crime and later linked to seven other murders of young women.
Later that year, Salka became romantically involved with a young man named Fritz Keppler. Fritz worked for a construction company. His wages were above average and soon she moved in with him and gave up the cabaret and prostitution. Unfortunately for both, they became involved with using and selling cocaine. These two young people with so much potential, so much promise, were consumed by the sewer of Berlin street life.
The political street violence was the direct result of the action by Chancellor Franz von Papen to lift the ban on the Sturmabteilung (Nazi Storm Troopers). Papen followed this by dissolving the Reichstag and finally dissolving the government of Prussia which contained 60 percent of the land mass of Germany and almost 70 percent of the population. This move was unprecedented in the history of the country and provided an avenue for the Nazis to gain control of Prussia, which they did. These events also allowed the Nazis to gain control of the national Reichstag in Berlin. The Nazis now held control of the majority of seats and the presiding chairman, the corpulent ex-pilot, Hermann Goering.
Hitler decided the time was right to take over the government. He traveled to Berlin for a meeting with General Kurt von Schleicher and President Hindenburg, now 85 years old. Accompanying Hitler was Ernst Rohm, who had been made head of the SA- Storm Troops. Rohm was a squat, ugly man whose face was scared from old war wounds. He was an active homosexual, a trait Hitler was willing to overlook for the time being. In the meeting, Hitler demanded he be made Chancellor. Only minutes later, Hindenburg dismissed the Nazis as though they were errand boys. He had an intense dislike of Rohm and later told General Schleicher in reference to Hitler that he might appoint ‘that Bohemian corporal’ as postmaster, but never Chancellor.
This enraged Hitler. His greatest fear was that he had lost his chance for power. To further confirm his fear, Papen resigned and General Schleicher was appointed the new Chancellor. His plan was to try to divide the Nazis and thus, significantly weaken them politically. Somehow Hitler was able to hold the party together. It was Christmas and most Germans preferred shopping to politics. The four weeks of Advent were peaceful as the streets were filled with the sounds of “Stille Nacht” and “O Tannanbaum.” It was the calm before the storm.
In January, Chancellor Schleicher appeared to be at the height of power. He had the support of both the President and the military. The Nazi party was bankrupt and in despair. Hitler and his inner circle of Joseph Goebbels, Heinrich Himmler and Hermann Goring met nightly. They were anxious to be present for any opportunity, even an unexpected one. Ernst Rohm was not included in these gatherings because Hitler hated homosexuals and no longer trusted Rohm. Hitler and his cronies feared they would be forced to go through another round of elections at a time when the party was in debt thirty million marks (five million dollars). President Hindenburg had repeatedly stated that he would never appoint ‘that Prussian misfit’ as Chancellor of Germany. On the first day of January, 1933, Goebbels wrote in his diary, ‘there are only dark days ahead, all chances and hopes have quite disappeared.’
By the 7th of January everything had changed. Former Chancellor Papen made a speech in Cologne urging the Nazis be included in any new government. A Cologne banker, Kurt von Schroder, arranged a meeting for Papen and Hitler with the underlying idea of overthrowing Chancellor Scheicher. Essential to Papen’s plan was that he be made Co-Chancellor with Hitler, and Scheicher be dismissed from the war ministry. This was not Hitler’s plan. He was determined to be the sole German Chancellor and told Papen he would settle for nothing less. Papen was still very close to the President and set off for the Presidential palace. There, he persuaded Hindenburg that the Nazis must be made a part of the government and that Hitler, as Chancellor, could be controlled.
By now Hindenburg had become weary of resisting. The following morning Hitler was summoned to the palace from his headquarters in the Kaiserhof Hotel across the street. As Hitler entered the Chancellery his staff, now including Rohm, watched intently from the fourth floor of the hotel. A large crowd began to gather in the street between the two buildings as they sensed that something important might be happening.
Joseph Goebbels later recorded in his diary, ‘a few moments later, he is with us. He says nothing, and we all remain silent. His eyes are full of tears. It has come! The Fuhrer is appointed Chancellor!’
Chapter 8
Ernst Bishoff
January, 1933. It was the beginning of the final six months of surgical training for Dr. Anna Eichenwald. She was completing an exceptional time in her life and had been rewarded with an appointment to the teaching staff in the Department of Surgery at the University of Berlin. She would be doing what she loved in the city she loved. The time had passed quickly. She was now the administrative chief resident and was running the surgical service for both charity and private patients.
Monday, January 30th, was a clinic day, affording Anna the chance to leave the hospital a bit early. She left at 5:00 p.m. The weather was fairly mild for January, and she changed from her scrubs to a light woolen dress and gray rain slicker with her favorite red silk scarf. She stepped out onto Unter den Linden. The traffic was unusually heavy and became more so as she walked east toward her apartment. She was unaware that four hours earlier, Adolph Hitler had been appointed Chancellor of Germany.
After the radio broadcast of the ceremony, curious sightseers began jamming the area around the Brandenburg Gate. Newsreel trucks were parked up and down the wide boulevard and by evening, Nazi paramilitary formations composed of the storm troopers and newly formed SS were assembled for a full dress parade down Wilhelmstrasse into the old core of Berlin. The throng of well-wishers was not anticipated. It was later reported that close to one million Berliners took part in this extraordinary demonstration of allegiance to a party that promised a new Germany. Hitler observed the parade from his balcony in the Kaiserhof Hotel, already intoxicated with the power that had so suddenly been placed in his hands. Thousands of Germans brandished torches and formed a river of fire from the Tiergarten through the Brandenburg Gate where the ‘goddess of victory’ lashed her stone horses forward. The crowd sang with gusto as bands played and flags waved. One of the war-songs was “Siegreich Wollen wir Frank Reich Schlagen” - We mean to defeat France. Thousands were carried away with enthusiasm from the song which brought back to mind the Treaty of Versailles.
The next few weeks brought with it, almost daily acts of violence. The weekends were even more dangerous. The violence took place most often under the cover of darkness as the Nazis and Communists ambushed each other. It was also widespread in Dusseldorf, Hamburg, Munich, Mannheim and as far north as Kiel. Still, the majority of the people remained neutral, shocked and dismayed at what was taking place.
On February 1st, Anna received the sad news that her friend
and classmate, Uri Avner had been killed in a riot in Mannheim. She recalled earlier times when they met in the museum coffee shop and remembered listening to his political rhetoric. She had not seen Uri for two years, but she was not surprised that he had gotten himself involved.
The Nazis were determined to remain in the public eye. Joseph Goebbels had been appointed the party chief for propaganda and took full advantage of the violence. A riot on February 2nd cost the lives of an SA officer named Maikowski and a policeman, Joseph Zaunitz. Three days later, an enormous state funeral was held for the two slain ‘heroes’ at the Berlin Cathedral. The service was attended by a number of dignitaries including Hitler, and was carried live on national radio. Outside, 40,000 SA and SS troops stood in cold drizzle. The funeral procession moved from the Cathedral along Unter den Linden, up Friedrichstrasse to the Invaliden Cemetery where the two were laid to rest next to two prominent 19th century generals, an honor that far exceeded their status in German military lore.
Ernst Bishoff was a 29-year old SS officer who had joined the Nazis four years previously. He was from Nuremberg, in Bavaria, and had come to Berlin with dreams of becoming a military officer. His political views were strongly anti-Marxist so he was attracted to the National Socialist German Worker’s Party (NSDAP) where he first met Hitler. Bishoff was clearly Aryan, with blond hair and blue eyes. He was quiet but keenly observant. Hitler had taken an immediate liking to him and considered he might eventually be a suitable replacement for the undesirable head of the SA, Ernst Rohm. Hitler was scheduled to address the nation on February, 10th. The address was to be broadcast on national radio. The first radio station began broadcasting in 1923, and by 1933, most Germans had radios. Another of Goebbels ideas was to have the address broadcast by loudspeaker at the busiest intersections in Germany’s 10 largest cities. Communists were still trying to thwart the Nazi momentum and had organized to try to disrupt the broadcasts. The address was to originate from the Sportplast at 6:00 p.m., a time slot designed to ensure it would reach the foot traffic on the streets, which peaked at that hour. Brown-shirted Nazis congregated throughout all of the areas in which the speakers were set up, tasked with keeping order and to demonstrate the competence of the new regime. More than 100 SA and SS personnel were in Berlin under the command of Ernst Bishoff. As commander, he was dressed in an all-black SS uniform with a red Swastika arm band. He stationed himself at the busiest intersection in Berlin.
Hitler began his address at 6:07 p.m. Thousands stood in rapt attention as he spoke. He focused on a national sense of purpose and his predictions of a 1,000 year Reich. The Communists desperately needed something to disrupt the speech. Suddenly a single shot was fired. The target was Bishoff who was hit in the chest. The force of the shot knocked him back several feet, and his comrades caught him as he fell. Screams, panic and confusion gripped the crowd. By the hundreds, people began ducking and running from the area. The gunman disappeared into the crowd despite the frantic search that followed. Bishoff was quickly placed in a Nazi sedan and was sped away for the 25 kilometer ride to the University Hospital.
Anna Eichenwald had experienced a quiet day. She had supervised two surgeries in the morning and clinic in the afternoon. As chief resident on call, she was available for emergencies and consultations requiring surgery. Anna rarely paid attention to political matters. But the events of the past two weeks were much on her mind. She had stopped by the emergency area to see if things were quiet before heading to the cafeteria and then her call room. As she was visiting with one of the nurses, Captain Bishoff was brought in on a stretcher. One of the SS officers was shouting,
“He’s been shot! He’s been shot!”
Anna followed the stretcher into the trauma room, along with two nurses and a junior resident. Bishoff’s blood pressure was 80 systolic and his pulse was barely palpable. Anna grabbed a pair of bandage scissors and quickly cut off his uniform and underclothing.
“He’s got a single entrance wound in the left anterior chest,” she said aloud. “Get me a chest tube tray!”
Almost simultaneously she turned him on his right side to look for an exit wound. She could find none. She then felt his abdomen and quickly looked for any other areas of injury. He was becoming unresponsive but did have some spontaneous movement of his lower extremities. This told her that he likely did not have a spinal cord injury. She quickly prepped his left lateral chest and placed a chest tube with a trochar. Five hundred ml. of blood filled the vacuum bottle.
“Chest x-ray, stat!”
Anna turned to the junior resident.
“Call the OR and tell them we are coming up… then call your back-up.”
Bishoff’s pressure was still in the 80s with a weak, thready pulse. Anna turned to the nurse.
“Set up six units of matched blood and get three units of un-matched.”
The anesthetist was now in the room and the chest x-ray completed. As Anna evaluated the film she saw something unexpected and disturbing. The film showed an expanded lung but a very large heart shadow, twice as large as would be expected.
“He’s got a cardiac injury,” she said to the anesthetist. “Let’s take him up now or we’re going to lose him.”
The resident ran out to get the elevator. When Anna and the anesthetist got there with the captain, the elevator was waiting. The OR was on the fifth floor and the ride seemed like an eternity. The OR was ready and the patient was wheeled in with a pressure that had dropped to the 70s. Bishoff was quickly put to sleep and turned up at a 60-degree angle. The nurse prepped around the chest tube as Anna and the junior resident scrubbed. While scrubbing, Anna stuck her head in the door.
“Where is the blood? Get it!”
Just as she had said this, the blood arrived and one unit of unmatched was started in each arm. Anna and the resident gowned and gloved.
“Call my staff and tell him we have a GSW to the left chest,” Anna yelled as she draped out the chest. “I’ll call him when I get the chest open. Knife!”
Anna opened the chest through a left anterior-lateral thoracotomy. The pericardial sac around the heart was bulging and tense. As she opened the pericardium, blood exploded out of the sac. There was a tangential hole in the left ventricle that was actively bleeding. With each heartbeat, blood was forced out of the heart about 3 centimeters. Anna placed her left index finger over the hole to control the bleeding.
“Suture!”
She carefully placed three mattress sutures in the heart muscle to close the hole. As the resident controlled the bleeding she tied the sutures.
“Bleeding is controlled. How’s his pressure?”
The blood pressure was up to 100. He was stabilizing. She inspected the chest cavity for any further injury or bleeding and found none. She then helped the resident close the chest and called her staff.
Anna glanced at the wall clock in the post-anesthesia area. It showed 10:55 p.m. Orders were written and he continued to look stable. But she decided to stay with him for a few hours in case of further problems. Another bleeding episode would likely be his last. He remained stable and Anna dozed off about 4:30 a.m. She woke up 20 minutes later and checked with the floor nurse. Then she was off for a shower and breakfast. She had a full day ahead.
That evening Anna finished rounds with the surgical team then swung by x-ray to check his film. It showed the lung fully expanded and a normal sized heart silhouette. She walked wearily by his room to find him sleeping and glanced at the chest tube bottle…no bleeding. Sensing someone in the room he opened his eyes.
With a faint smile Anna said, “Captain Bishoff, I’m Dr. Eichenwald, your surgeon.”
* * *
Joseph Gobbels, though the smallest in stature of Hitler’s lieutenants, was now the Fuhrer’s ‘attack dog.’ As head of the Propaganda Ministry, he now had access to the state controlled radio network. He was a former broadcast journalist and had a keen interest in print m
edia as well. Goebbels had a plan. The Nazis would gain control of Germany’s almost 500 daily newspapers. Within the short time span of six months, they would control both the airwaves and the print media.
Now they needed a legitimate avenue for controlling the lives of ordinary German citizens. Gobbels provided that avenue on the night of February 27th, when SA storm troopers set fire to the Reichstag and blamed the arson on the Communists. There was outrage in the newspapers and in all the news accounts. The following day, because of this ‘emergency,’ Hitler produced a presidential decree that placed severe restrictions on personal liberties. These included the right of free expression, freedom of the press and the right of assembly. In a single day, with little understanding of the consequences, all German citizens lost their most basic, constitutional rights.
In the March elections, the Nazis garnered 52 percent of the vote. It was still far short of the two-thirds majority needed to alter the constitution. The legislature was now meeting in the Kroll-Opera House. The delegates were debating a statute known as the Alleviation of the People’s and the Reich’s Misery, otherwise called The Enabling Law. This law would permit the government to pass budgets, promulgate laws, alter the constitution, and essentially run the country without parliamentary approval. There were 81 Communist delegates in the Reichstag. All were placed under house arrest.
